The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an animated action-comedy series airing as part of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. It chronicles the adventures of two dopey teenage boys, their super-scientist father, and their secret-agent guardian. The show is known for its developed plots and dry sense of humor. J.G. Thirlwell of Foetus fame scores the show. The series is an homage to the style of the classic Hanna-Barbara action series Jonny Quest with which it shares many similarities. Hank and Dean's roles resemble those of Jonny and Hadji, Dr. Venture is a caricature of Dr. Benton Quest, and Brock Samson can be considered a testosterone-loaded, excessively-violent take on Race Bannon (who actually appears in the series as someone Brock knows). It has been stated by the show's creators that the show also parodies Hardy Boys mysteries and comic super heroes. Oddly enough, one episode showed that Venture Bros. takes place in the same continuity as Jonny Quest. However, despite these similarities, the show does not focus on parodying these elements and stands on its own merits and themes. Show creator Jackson Publick (a pseudonym for Christopher McCulloch) was one of the main writers for the Saturday morning animated show The Tick; and Ben Edlund, creator of The Tick, has co-written one episode of Venture Bros. (Another Tick connection: Patrick Warburton, who played the Tick in the short-lived live-action series, provides the voice of Brock Samson.) The second season of the series is expected to air in spring 2006. The considerable delay between the end of the first season and the start of the second was partially caused by Adult Swim's delay in deciding whether to renew the show. Characters The Venture family *'Hank Venture' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Teenage boy, one-half of the titular pairing. A mix between Jonny Quest and Fred of Scooby Doo fame. Tends to be more athletic than his brother. Always up for adventures and solving mysteries. Better at disguises than his brother, and can be rather naive. Prone to flights of fancy; Brock comments "it's like he (Hank) channels dead crazy people." *'Dean Venture' (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas): Teenage boy. Timid, selfless, and more "bookish" than Hank. A combination of one of The Hardy Boys and Jonny Quest's Hadji. Always keen for adventures, but tends to flee at the first sign of bodily harm. He faints when he stands up quickly and has a weak stomach. He is slightly more rational than Hank but still thinks bad guys are toted away in sleeping bags, not body bags. Dr. Venture comments that Dean is a bit "more effeminate" than Hank. *'Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture' (voiced by James Urbaniak): Father of the Venture twins. Inherited Venture Industries from his deceased father, the famous Dr. Jonas Venture. He considers himself an adventurer and "super-scientist" like his father, but he is somewhat of a failure despite some ability in the nebulously defined field of "super-science". Frequently swallows "diet pills" and despises being compared to his late father. Has archenemies in the form of the Monarch and Baron Ünderbheit. It has been revealed that he never finished his studies and is not technically a doctor at all (his father died during his final year in college, but his professors apparently didn't give him any leeway as a result). Tends to dislike his sons; it is somewhat unclear whether he actually loves them. He often suffers from nightmares where he, in one way or another, does away with his twin brother while still in the womb. Lactates during periods of extreme stress. *'Brock Samson' (voiced by Patrick Warburton): Bodyguard of the Venture family and agent with the Office of Secret Intelligence. Has a Level Eight (8), Class A license to kill and an amazing zeal and ability in using it. Adamantly refuses to use firearms, instead preferring his saw-toothed Bowie knife. Drives a Dodge Charger, which he once used to slaughter dozens of the Monarch's henchmen. Loyal to the Venture family, and now seems to serve as a bit of a mentor and surrogate father for the boys. *'H.E.L.P.eR.' (voiced by Soul-Bot): The Venture family's personal helper robot. H.E.L.P.eR. is an acronym for Humanoid Electric Lab Partner Robot. Created by Dr. Jonas Venture to look after his son Rusty, and now assists Brock in looking after Dean and Hank. Fairly capable, but emotionally unstable and somewhat dim-witted for a robot. *'Dr. Jonas Venture' (voiced by Paul Boocock): Deceased father of Dr. Thaddeus Venture, once one of the foremost scientists in the world. Created what is now known as Venture Industries and led the original Team Venture. His character is based on Doc Savage. Villains *'The Monarch' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Dr. Venture's nemesis, obsessed with Monarch butterflies, which raised him as a child. Longs to bring an end to Dr. Venture in as many ways as possible. Is evasive when asked why he seeks to harm Dr. Venture; it is implied that his only real reason is that he is Venture's self-proclaimed archenemy. Dr. Venture, in turn, barely seems to realize the Monarch exists most of the time. A former member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent (which he only joined for the medical plan). The Monarch's base is a giant, flying cocoon. His primary weapons are his wrist mounted projectile launchers, notably shooting poison darts. *'Dr. Girlfriend' (voiced by Doc Hammer): Girlfriend and assistant to the Monarch. Previously worked for (and/or was romantically involved with) the Phantom Limb. She bears a remarkable similarity to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; she has an unnaturally deep voice (the character is voiced by a man), which is also a parody of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' relatively low voice for a woman and her New England accent. Formerly known as Lady Au Pair and Queen Etherea. Arguably the brains behind the Monarch's operation, although she has expressed doubts about his rivalry with Venture. Rumors that she is a transsexual have been dispelled as a red herring. Nonetheless, Master Billy Quizboy claims that she has a surgically implanted baboon's uterus. *'Monarch Henchmen' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch and others): The incompetent henchmen of the Monarch. There are many of them, with different body compositions and voices. They are all referred to by number (except for two named "Speedy" and "Tiny Joseph"). Often killed by Brock Samson. Most are disposable, but two have become recurring characters: "Number Twenty-One," an obese pop-culture geek with a Star Wars fixation, and his friend "Number Twenty-Four," a tall, thin, dim-witted one who sounds like comic Ray Romano. The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend have an almost parental relationship with the henchmen, though the Monarch has killed several of them himself. *'Baron Werner Ünderbheit' (voiced by T. Ryder Smith): Ruler of Ünderland, a militant dictatorship. Wears a prosthetic, metal jaw and speaks in a thick, pseudo-German accent. Enemy of Doctor Venture, mostly due to unresolved differences from their college days together (Venture is to blame for Ünderbheit's prosthetic jaw; as he says, "In my country, a lab-partnership is a sacred trust. One is always supposed to look out for one's lab-partner! Venture did not..."). Associated with the Guild of Calamitous Intent. Is a parody of Doctor Doom. *'The Phantom Limb' (voiced by James Urbaniak): Villain with invisible arms and legs. Member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent. It is hinted that he and Dr. Girlfriend used to be a couple. Based off of the Phantom Stranger. *'Manservant' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Baron Ünderbheit's long-time personal servant. *'Ünderbheit Henchmen' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Henchmen to Baron Ünderbheit. They are far more disciplined than the henchmen of the Monarch, and they take pride in the fact that at the age of thirty-eight, they are executed. *'Jonas Venture, Jr.' (voiced by James Urbaniak): Dr. Venture's deformed twin, who was absorbed by Rusty in the womb. Has re-awakened and been freed from Rusty's body via surgery after being mistaken for a tumor. Desperate to claim the life that was never his, and has the body of a baby, though one of his arms is a handless nub and his head appears to have matured to an adult appearance. Seems to have made peace with Dr. Venture as of the end of the first season. Friends/allies *'Dr. Byron Orpheus' (voiced by Steven Rattazzi): An expert necromancer who rents a portion of the Venture Compound and is friends with Dr. Venture. Unusually capable for a Venture associate. Has a bachelor's degree in communication from a community college, but claims a doctorate from a "higher authority." Seeks an archenemy of his own, and has apparently applied several times for one with the Guild of Calamitous Intent. Dresses much like Doctor Strange with a face and voice similar to that of Vincent Price. His speech is filled with overly dramatic phrases and delivered in a grandiosely theatrical voice. *'Triana Orpheus' (voiced by Lisa Hammer): Dr. Orpheus' Goth-punk daughter. Has hair dyed purple, and is fairly friendly with the Venture Boys. Possibly the most down-to-earth character on the show, despite her father's tendency to dramatize. Dean Venture has a crush on her, and she at least tolerates him. *'Pete White' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): A computer scientist and, more notably, an albino Caucasian. Co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. He has been accused of being a homosexual by Quizboy. Went to college with Venture and Ünderbheit where he hosted a new wave radio show called "The White Room." *'Master Billy Quizboy' (voiced by Doc Hammer): A self-proclaimed boy genius, though he's actually an adult with a speech impediment and growth hormone deficiency. He is a neurogeneticist and co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. Suffers from hydrocephalus, which is the reason his mother refers to him as her "little water baby." *'The Action Man' Rodney (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture. An all-American supersoldier that can be best described as a kind of B-grade Captain America. He primarily fights with handguns and sometimes his fists. He has constant bowel movements, which never seem to sway him. Married Major Tom's widow after Tom's tragic accident. *'Col. Horace Gentleman' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture. British ex-spy. he is extremely perceptive and is, indeed, a total gentleman. Walks around with a cane and has a voice similar to Sean Connery. *'Kano' (unvoiced): Retired member of the original Team Venture. Master of the martial arts and an accomplished pilot. Communicates by way of origami. In his prime, his hands were "powerful enough to crush a boulder," yet "delicate enough to crush a butterfly." *'Otto Aquarius' (voiced by T. Ryder Smith): Retired member of the original Team Venture. Exiled son of Atlantis, he is half-human and half-Atlantean which provides him with a greatly extended life-span. Most recently, he has converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses. The only pacifist in the original Team Venture. *'Col. Bud Manstrong' (voiced by Terrence Fleming): Colonel on the orbiting space station, Gargantua-1. *'Lt. Anna Baldavitch' (voiced by Nina Hellman): Lieutenant under Col. Manstrong on Gargantua-1. Her face is never shown, and it is implied that she is catastrophically ugly, in stark contrast to her shapely body. She is also in a relationship with Bud Manstrong, but that is put to an end once the Venture team visits the space station and Brock has sex with her, with her helmet on, of course. *'Race Bannon' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Agent in the Office of Secret Intelligence. Seemingly killed recovering the Goliath Serum from Nat King Cobra's Snake-Men. Implied that he is the same Race Bannon from Jonny Quest, as his dying words to Brock Samson are "Tell Jonny I love..." He and Brock Samson go way back. Others *'Molotov Cocktease' (voiced by Mia Barron): Brock Samson's love interest, despite the fact that she killed his partner and he killed her father and took out her left eye. An ex-Soviet agent, she now makes her living as a mercenary. She's also a knife lover, like Brock. Their meetings often begin with violence and end with tenderness. Unfortunately for Brock Samson, she wears a chastity belt. Her name is a sexual pun on "Molotov cocktail". *'Professor Richard Impossible' (voiced by Stephen Colbert): Former professor to Dr. Venture, Mr. White, and Billy Quizboy and founder of Impossible Industries, a major government contractor. Impossible and his cohorts are a parody of the Fantastic Four: an experiment with cosmic radiation gave them each strange abilities. Richard can stretch his body like rubber, similar to Mister Fantastic. The other members of his family have useless parodies of the other members' powers. His wife Sally can turn her skin invisible (but only her skin, which is somewhat less than the abilities of the Invisible Woman). Sally's brother Cody bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen (unlike the Human Torch, he cannot control this very painful reaction, so he is kept in an air-tight container). Their mentally handicapped cousin Ned has a purple, "non-rocky" appearance. Unlike The Thing, he has no enhanced abilities or powers; his appearance is simply that of a "giant (and painful) callous." *'Roy Brisby' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Manager/CEO of the "Brisbyland" theme park and associated entertainment empire. Crippled in an accident that occurred during the construction of Brisbyland and now confined to a wheelchair. Wishes for Dr. Venture to clone him a new body. Parody of Walt Disney. *'Mandelay' (voiced by Charles Stewart Parnell): Roy Brisby's large bodyguard. Mandelay is named for his theme music, "Mandelay," from Foetus' Flow. *'Major Tom' (voiced by James Urbaniak): A test pilot for the late Dr. Jonas Venture. Died when the experimental plane he was flying crashed in the Bermuda Triangle. The character's name (and much of his dialogue) comes from the title track of David Bowie's 1969 album ''Space Oddity as well as his 1980 single, "Ashes to Ashes." *'Steve Summers' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): A former astronaut. After a near-fatal accident, he underwent a six-million-dollar procedure to turn him into a bionic man. Currently fleeing the military, who expected him to work off the six million dollars spent reconstructing his body. A parody of Steve Austin of The Six Million Dollar Man. *'Sasquatch' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Also known as Bigfoot. Steve Summers' life partner who gave him a new hope to abandon his government work. *'Tiny Attorney' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): A southern gentlemen prosecutor during the Monarch's trial and #3 on the Guild of Calamitous Intent's Most Wanted List. Actually a little person growing from the body of "an inbred simpleton". Abducted during the trial by the Guild's Strangers, led by the Phantom Limb. A spoof of Kuato from the movie Total Recall. Episodes Pilot The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay (written by: Jackson Publick) - Dr. Venture goes to New York to show off his latest invention at a United Nations symposium. Meanwhile, his two sons decide to have an "adventure" in the Big Apple, while Brock goes off for some R&R. A ninja seems to have an altogether unhealthy interest in Dr. Venture's newest gadget... (Note: the pilot shows the characters in a rather different light, and is currently not scheduled as part of the show's run.) Season 1 1-01: Dia de los Dangerous (written by: Jackson Publick) - The Venture family travels to Tijuana for a lecture given by Dr. Venture (who also meets up with a Dr. Guevara) at the University of Mexico. The Monarch also travels to Mexico to find his long lost adoptive parents (Monarch butterflies). When the Monarch discovers the Ventures in Mexico, he wreaks havoc on them that leaves the brothers trapped in the Monarch's clutches, Dr. Venture without his kidneys and Brock...dead? 1-02: Careers in Science (written by: Doc Hammer) - The two-person crew of 'Gargantua-1', a space station built by Jonas Venture years ago, calls Team Venture when a red "problem" light activates. The station's commander, Bud Manstrong, tells Hank and Dean a space-age ghost story: a crewmember went insane and gathered most of the station's other residents in the cargo bay to watch the Burt Reynolds movie Sharky's Machine, then opened the airlock and killed himself and them. The boys instantly seize on the notion that his ghost, who they call "Phantom Space Man", is haunting them. Manstrong introduces the only other occupant of the station, the shapely Lieutenant Anna Baldavich; her face is never shown but, judging by the Ventures' reactions, is hideous. Dr. Venture mistakenly assumes that his space suit has a waste collection pouch and soaks himself in urine. Frustrated and apathetic, he begins randomly pressing switches in an attempt to deactivate the problem light. He unknowingly opens the cargo bay doors, briefly sending H.E.L.P.eR. and Brock into empty space unprotected, then knocks himself unconscious by toggling the gravity generator. The boys, finding him, assume that Phantom Space Man tried to kill Brock and murdered their father. Baldavich, who is frustrated by Manstrong's fear of commitment and lack of advances after six years together on the station, comes on to Brock, who happily engages her in wild sex (after asking her to leave her helmet on). H.E.L.P.eR., who was momentarily entangled with a communications satellite, is hurled through the hull of the space station into a storeroom. Hank and Dean, seeking Brock's protection, see him cavorting with the helmeted Baldavich but initially assume that he is wrestling with Phantom Space Man. The boys break down in tears over their father's "death" until H.E.L.P.eR. wanders by, covered in sheets and debris; they mistake the robot for the Phantom and beat him viciously before throwing him out of an airlock. Meanwhile, Dr. Venture has a hallucination of his father, who says that Gargantua-1 is perfect and that "Rusty" must have broken it somehow. Venture wakes and asks Brock to fix the hull breach (caused by H.E.L.P.eR.); Manstrong, unhinged by Baldavich's "infidelity", volunteers to help. While Brock repairs the hull, Manstrong urges him to "do the right thing" ("She'll make a fine wife. Her father invented that Mr. Mouth game. She's an heiress!"), laying a hand on Brock's shoulder. Brock snaps and pummels Manstrong viciously. Dr. Venture notices a stain on one of the panels and opens it to find one of his boyhood toy cowboys melted into the circuitry. He removes it and the problem light goes out; triumphant, he finally changes into a fresh space suit the boys bring him. As they blast off for home, Baldavich demands that Manstrong apologize before she uses a mechanical arm to retrieve him from space. Dr. Venture's soiled space suit drips urine onto the control panel, and the problem light turns on again. 1-03: Home Insecurity (written by: Jackson Publick) - As Brock leaves for his sabbatical in the woods, Dr. Venture invents a robot named G.U.A.R.D.O. and builds a panic room that will protect the family in Brock's absence. The robot is completed, but Venture falls asleep before loading the "friendly" file software. When teams of henchmen from both the Monarch and Baron Ünderbheit attack simultaneously, the Ventures are trapped in the panic room and G.U.A.R.D.O. can not distinguish them from the villains. While the Monarch's henchmen bicker with Ünderbheit's henchmen over who gets dibs on Venture's defeat (which later turns into a conversation, then vandalism of the Venture Compound), Monarch and Ünderbheit try to come to an agreement. Meanwhile, Brock befriends a bionic man and Sasquatch. H.E.L.P.eR. runs away in a fit of jealousy upon discovering Dr. Venture's plans for the G.U.A.R.D.O. robot. 1-04: The Incredible Mr. Brisby (written by: Jackson Publick) - Theme-park mogul Roy Brisby attempts to enlist Dr. Venture's help in cloning a new body; Brisby is wheelchair-bound after suffering a stroke during a ride that went awry. Venture refuses, and is bagged by Brisby's "longtime com-panda", Li-Li ("won from David Bowie in a trivia contest"), while Brock falls prey to a drugged cigarette. The boys, meanwhile, are kidnapped and brainswashed by the Orange County Liberation Front, who wishes to destroy Brisby's empire and reclaim the county's small-town charm. Brock wakes up to find himself under the care of his old flame Molotov Cocktease, and after a brief and... exciting... reunion, the two head to Brisbyland. Inside the giant "beehive" in the center of the theme park, Brisby drugs Venture to force him to reveal his knowledge of cloning; due to his steady consumption of diet pills, however, Venture only emits a stream of nonsense. The OCLF attacks the beehive at the same time that Brock and Molotov arrive. Venture and the boys are saved by Brock amidst the chaos, and Brisby, who is attempting to escape with Li-Li, finds Cocktease blocking his escape. Cocktease reveals that she was hired by Bowie to return the panda. 1-05: Eeney, Meeny, Miney... Magic! (written by: Doc Hammer) - Dr. Venture's latest invention has the family interested, not to mention trapped! Their new neighbor, the strange Dr. Orpheus, may be the only one who can help them escape. Meanwhile, Dean falls for Orpheus's daughter while Brock falls for his old flame, Molotov Cocktease. 1-06: Ghosts of the Sargasso (written by: Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick) - Doctor Venture, short on money, searches for a flying saucer lost underwater in the Bermuda Triangle; his father had created the craft, but didn't patent it because a test pilot (Major Tom) died during a preliminary flight. The opening shot of the show quotes David Bowie's songs "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to Ashes" nearly verbatim. Dr. Venture's disrespect for the dead raises Major Tom from the dead to haunt the Venture's ship, the X-2, which has already been beset by pirates. 1-07: Ice Station Impossible (written by: Jackson Publick) - Doctor Venture, Mr. White, and Master Billy are employed in a "think tank" run by Professor Impossible. The Professor also heads Impossible Industries, a research facility often used by the government to solve "impossible" problems. Meanwhile, government agent Race Bannon tries to steal an illegal serum from a terrorist group while on an airplane; the serum accidentally gets knocked out of his hands, out of the plane, and onto Hank Venture on the ground below. The serum, known as the Goliath Serum, was made by Richard Impossible during the Vietnam War; it leaves Hank with less than a day before he becomes a human bomb. It is up to the new "think tank" at Impossible Industries to help save him. This episode specifically parodies the Fantastic Four, as the powers developed by Prof. Impossible, his wife, her waste-head brother, and her "retard cousin" mirror (in a darkly satirical way) the powers of the Fantastic Four. The Professor can stretch his body, his wife has the power to turn her skin invisible, her brother bursts into flames whenever exposed to oxygen, and her cousin has become "a human callus." After Venture cheats to pass a urinalysis test with the help of Sally Impossible, who shows romantic interest in him, the Professor strands Venture in the Antarctic wastes. Brock and the boys find Venture while on the way to seek Impossible Industries' antidote to the Goliath serum. 1-08: Mid-life Chrysalis (written by: Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer) - The Monarch sends Dr. Girlfriend undercover in order to seduce Dr. Venture and inject him with a serum that turns him into a caterpillar¹. Meanwhile, Brock becomes depressed over the expiration of his license to kill, but the brothers help him cram for his government exam. Dr. Venture would later ask H.E.L.P.eR. to kill him, giving a reference to the movie The Fly. Despite using very unorthodox methods during the exam, Brock has his license renewed. Dr. Girlfriend finds that she regrets what she has done to Venture and injects him with an antidote. ¹: (Dr. Venture's transformation into a caterpillar seems to mirror that of Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", in which the main character, Gregor Samsa, also turns into a similar creature. This is also implied by Dr. Venture's claim that "what you are about to see is a nightmare inexplicably torn from the pages of Kafka!") 1-09: Are You There God, It's Me, Dean (written by: Doc Hammer) - As the Monarch tortures the Venture family above the Amazon River, Dean Venture suddenly comes down with a slight case of acute testicular torsion. According to an addendum to Article 47 of the Unusual Torture Act (a.k.a. "Rusty's Law") created by the Guild of Calamitous Intent in 1969, the Monarch has to let them go for two days or until Dean is fully cured. The Monarch keeps Brock Samson and Hank Venture as collateral until then. Master Billy and Mr. White are hired to heal Dean. Meanwhile, Brock helps the Monarch celebrate his birthday by overtaking his Lair. 1-10: Tag-Sale – You're it! (written by: Doc Hammer) - Once again short on money, Dr. Venture holds a yard sale. Brock musters a team of agents to maintain security, concerned that Venture may be selling dangerous items to villains. Among the attendees are the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend (with two henchmen), Baron Ünderbheit (who must reluctantly remove his steel jaw to pass through the metal detector), Master Billy and Mr. White, and the Phantom Limb. Hank opens a lemonade and grinder stand with grandiose plans. Dr. Orpheus offers to assist with the sale and admits his jealousy over Venture's array of archenemies. Master Billy and Mr. White attempt to convince Dr. Girlfriend to be their nemesis, followed by Phantom Limb offering to "number two" for her while she establishes herself as a supervillain; Girlfriend politely declines them, professing loyalty to Monarch, "who's been arching on Dr. Venture lately." A grinders plays havoc on the Monarch's digestive system while one of the henchmen becomes enamored with a lightsaber for sale. The Monarch tricks Ünderbheit into starting a free-for-all fight and uses the distraction to sneak into the Venture compound in search a bathroom. After relieving himself, the Monarch expresses frustration and discontent: he is in the bedroom of his sworn enemy but feels unmotivated to do anything sinister. Dr. Girlfriend suggests that they could find the lab and "maybe break something." Unaware of the infiltration, Dr. Venture and his sons head indoors to escape the fight. Inside the lab, the Monarch is dismayed to find the shoddy, unimpressive state of Venture's equipment. "What could I do to this guy that life hasn't already done to him?" he moans. Dr. Girlfriend seems on the verge of breaking up with the Monarch when Brock's agents, alerted by Venture, burst in. His purpose and anger suddenly restored, the Monarch immobilizes them with tranquilizer darts and delivers a fiery, rambling speech swearing vengeance on Venture before grabbing Dr. Girlfriend and sweeping upwards via an escape cable. Hours later, as Venture, Brock and the agents clean up the debris from the tag sale debacle, the Monarch is shown still dangling from the cable, muttering to Girlfriend "Okay, they're finishing up, let's go home." 1-11: Past Tense (written by: Jackson Publick) - Venture attends a funeral for a former college associate named Mike Sorayama. Hank and Dean are surprised to learn that Dr. Venture and Brock were college roommates, as were Mr. White and Baron Ünderbheit (who was a spoiled exchange student at the time). As Venture tells them, Brock dropped out of college to join the Army; he had lost his football scholarship after (accidentally) killing a football teammate during practice. While serving as Sorayama's pallbearers, Dr. Venture, Brock Samson, Baron Ünderbheit and Mr. White are gassed and abducted by the automated. The Venture brothers ask the surviving members of the original Team Venture to help them find their father and bodyguard. Strangely enough, the kidnapper appears to be Mike Sorayama, who then proceeds to berate each of the four over humiliating events that happened during college (Ünderbheit for tricking him into smoking oregano which he is allergic to, White for embarrassing him on radio, and Venture for mocking him in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Sorayama also believed Venture slept with Leslie but then learned it was Brock, who was captured for beating Sorayama and others up in rage). The original Team Venture find the lair and defeat Sorayama's "Lesliebots", androids that look like Leslie Cohen, a girl that Sorayama has obsessed over. When Brock escapes from the chamber, he mistakenly beats up Team Venture, who are disguised as Lesliebots. A final confrontation reveals that the kidnapper is actually a robotic version of Mike Sorayama; the real Sorayama's remains occupy the futuristic coffin that abducted the four. Assuming that Sorayama hated them so much that he programmed his robots to hate them, Venture departs with Hank, Dean and Brock, forgetting to free White and Ünderbheit. ²: (Mike Sorayama looks and sounds quite like Mike Yanagita from the movie Fargo - and, in fact, is voiced by the same actor, Steve Park.) 1-12: The Trial of the Monarch (written by: Doc Hammer) - One of the Monarch's henchmen writes a biography of the Monarch, titled "The Flight of the Monarch". The Monarch discovers the book, kills the author, and starts an argument with Dr. Girlfriend about her photos in the book with other men (Monstroso, Jim Foetus, and the Phantom Limb). In a state of furor, he calls her a whore and throws her out of his cocoon lair and his life. She winds up at The Phantom Limb's house after walking around in the rain. When the Monarch comes searching for Dr. Girlfriend, The Phantom Limb frames the Monarch for a crime he did not commit and calls the police (who are in the Guild's pocket). During the trial, mind-reading Dr. Orpheus finds out that the Monarch is innocent. But before Orpheus reveals the truth, the Phantom Limb orders members of the Guild to freeze everyone in the courtroom and put a "level three memory wipe" on them. The real plan of the Phantom Limb and the Guild is revealed when Guild operatives capture the prosecutor, Tiny Attorney (who is a parody of Total Recall's mutant leader Kuato). Once everyone is unfrozen and Dr. Orpheus mentally swayed, he declares the Monarch guilty. Orpheus's words ring so loudly that the court finds the Monarch guilty, too. 1-13: Return to Spider-Skull Island (written by: Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer) - Dr. Venture's recurring womb nightmares turn out to be something far more sinister--he has a twin brother who was engulfed by him when both were fetuses, and, having been taken out during surgery, wants vengeance! Jonas Jr. outfits himself in a robot body, knocks Brock out and ties him to his car, leaving him free to hunt down Dr. Venture. Meanwhile, Hank and Dean run off over their mistaken belief that their father is pregnant and are taken into the Monarch's 'scared straight' program for wannabe super-villains. Dr. Orpheus tails them, attempting to keep them out of trouble. The Monarch talks the boys into going back to their old life. Brock, meanwhile, has H.E.L.P.eR. drive the car over to Dr. Venture, who finally seems to be getting his from Jonas Jr. (who claims the Venture empire is rightfully his). The car smashes into Jonas Jr. and knocks him out of his body, revealing he has the body of an infant. Dr. Venture keeps Brock from killing his twin and the two basically agree to negotiate a truce. Dr. Orpheus conveniently comes by at that point, telling of what happened to the boys. Soon all seems well, as Brock, Jonas Jr., Dr. Orpheus, and Dr. Venture trail behind the boys in their hoverbikes. The Monarch's two henchmen meanwhile come by and ask if they can find both a hair parlor and ammo for a gun, but the fat henchman, showing off the gun, accidentally shoots Hank and Dean and kills them³. Dr.Venture sees the carnage and says "All right... get their clothes." This is the series' first season finale. ³: (This is a spoof of the shocking ending of the movie Easy Rider wherein the two young protagonists are shot off their choppers by two rednecks in a pickup truck.) Special A Very Venture Christmas (written by: Jackson Publick) - A Christmas Special in which Dr. Venture throws a party for many of his friends (mostly all of the characters from previous episodes, such as the Original Team Venture, Steve Summers and Sasquatch, etc.), but the party goes awry when Dean and Hank accidentally release Krampus from Dr. Orpheus's spell book. Chaos and abuse (mostly toward Dr. Venture) ensue. Meanwhile, the Monarch has hatched yet another plan to kill Dr. Venture, this time involving a nativity scene booby-trapped with C4 explosive. The trap is actually sprung and the Monarch is seemingly successful in not only killing Dr. Venture but all of his allies including his sons, Brock, Dr. Orpheus and Triana. The events in this episode take place after "Ice Station Impossible" but before "The Trial of the Monarch", and is largely a dream sequence that takes place after the X1 crashes in Bethlehem and Dr. Venture is rendered unconscious. Home releases The release of the first season on DVD was scheduled for March 14, 2006, but a delay has been announced. It is still planned to coincide with the premiere of the second season. External links * The Official Venture Brothers Website * Jackson Publick's Venture Bros. Livejournal * Adult Swim - Venture Bros. Website * Scrotal Safety Commission (A satirical site on testicular torsion created by Doc Hammer for the episode "Are You There God, It's Me, Dean") Venture Bros., The Venture Bros., The Venture Bros., The